one - stormver[]
"Calomelbreeze."
"Calomelbreeze!"
"Calomelbreeze!"
Groaning, I stretch my legs for a moment, my orange tabby fur licking the feathered and fur-stuffed nest. "What?"
"C'mon! We're due for patrolling at the SunClan border!"
Sighing, I follow my brother, Ebonyshade.
I tell myself the introduction in case we run into any of our border friends - SunClan is a friend of my Clan, MoonClan, held together by just a few cats. My name is Calomelbreeze, and I am a warrior of MoonClan. Please don't be afraid of me - I don't bite and I consider myself friendly. Ebonyshade helped me come up with that one.
Our patrol consists of Peregrineheart, one of the more senior warriors, Thrushstar, our leader, and Ebonyshade and I.
Thrushstar is our leader - he's got chocolate-colored fur and deep gray tabby markings. He's always so tense - it's like you've caught him off-guard every time a typical cat calls on him. The only times he doesn't react is if it's towards Peregrineheart, his favorite apprentice, or Scorchblaze, his mate. It's an interesting mix - rumor has it that Scorchblaze's mother is in SunClan, and that she herself was a SunClan cat. Either way, it seems like Thrushstar and Scorchblaze are a good match.
Peregrineheart - he's got a mate too, but he's not nearly as interesting as any of the others. He's a brown tabby - not like Thrushstar, but brown tabby nonetheless. He's so arrogant that it's like nobody can ever tell him what to do. I don't know how his mate stands him.
And then there's my brother, Ebonyshade. He's been a deep gray all his life, and he's got brilliant green eyes. He's really funny and attracts a lot of attention - especially from the she-cats. All the young she-cats love him - he's attractive and his personality totally makes them fall for him. He's experienced a few accidents, notably one with his friend Citrine, but despite that, he's still wonderful.
There's me, too - I'm the complete opposite of him. I've got amber eyes and my orange tabby fur is just so...bland. There's only one tom who even tries flirting with me - irritating prat. That's the thing about me - I'm also really sensitive. I get my feelings hurt easily when dealing with tough situations. My brother and I stick together through it all - he and I wouldn't ever want to not go into something together.
All the toms pressure Ebonyshade to start flirting with a she-cat. The opposite, of course, happens with me - the she-cats pressure me to return feelings for the tom I mentioned earlier. However, there's one catch - Ebony and I are both attracted to the same gender, but nobody knows. Ebonyshade's said that his reputation will go down the drain if he's caught, and he only fears that mine'll go further.
Anyway. The patrol's approaching the border.
Thrushstar checks for any signs of SunClan cats, and the rest of us do the same. I think we're going to see an opposing border patrol, and my suspicions are soon confirmed - a small patrol enters through the bushes.
Entering is a gray tabby tom, a black and white, but mostly white she-cat, and a tortoiseshell she-cat. "Greetings," the tom says respectively. "You'll be happy to know that we haven't crossed the border - unless little Finchsoar here lost another bird." The two patrols laugh, and I watch the black and white she-cat flatten her ears.
She must be Finchsoar.
The tom - his name is Ashfeather. He seems kinda nice - he's respectful to our leader and the rest of us. Finchsoar dips her head, but stays back nonetheless. The tortoiseshell turns out to be Flickerwing, and they're generally nice.
The two patrols part, and I think about the patrol silently on our way back. Peregrineheart is bragging to Thrushstar about how well he handled the situation, and Ebonyshade seems distracted.
This is just all there's ever been.
Two clans.
Two cats who can't reveal themselves.
Two sides to the story called love.
two - brams[]
The three of us - Flickerwing, Ashfeather, and myself - turn away from the MoonClan cats and start to return back to our own camp. They take the front of the patrol, while I trail behind them at the rear.
My mind is now on the MoonClan cats that we saw just before. Thrushstar, the leader, is the one I first set my mind on. He's an okay cat, I guess - but I can't be sure of that, seeing as I've never spoken to him in my life. He has got a fair relationship with my Clan, and on good terms with Larchstar, my leader - so I guess Thrushstar's fine.
The brown tom is next. Peregrineheart. He seemed a little bit tense, proud of his Clan a little too much when we talked with him. Hmph. I'm not going to make a judgement of him yet, but... I'm not sure if I like him or not.
Next is that dark gray tom - I think, if I recall correctly, his name was Ebonyshade. He seems pretty quiet - the quietest of the four - but he also appears to be a nice cat.
Finally, there was the she-cat - Calomelbreeze. She, out of them, seems like the one I could relate to the most... not even Ebonyshade, who seemed like the cat who would send a lot of young she-cats like me swooning over him. I'll seek her out sometime... maybe at the next Gathering? She seems nice enough.
While in my thoughts, we'd managed to travel the entire distance back to camp from the border. At the front of the patrol, Ashfeather ducks his head as he pads in, followed by Flickerwing, and then myself. I dip my head as I pad into our Clan's camp, and breathe a sigh of relief to see my home.
SunClan's camp is nice, if I say so myself. Gorse bushes surround the camp's edge - there are no trees in this section of our territory. It's large, too.
Opposite the camp entrance, which is fortified with thorns, sits the Meetingrock. When Larchstar needs to, he calls meetings from there. His den is behind the rock. At the moment, the leader's sitting in front of the rock, his striped tail curled over his white paws as he surveys the camp.
Flickerwing and Ashfeather both pad over to Larchstar to report about the patrol... but I drift away, not feeling the need to join them. Instead, my gaze flicks to the warriors' den - which is to the left of the Meetingrock - where I see my brother, Robintail. He's talking loudly to his best friend, Raptorflight.
"Shut up, just because you became a warrior before me..." Robintail replies to his brown friend, tail flicking as he turns his head in my direction. He sees me, and his blue eyes lock with mine. "Oh hey, Finchsoar, how was your patrol?"
Slowly, I pad over to my brother and Raptorflight. "...Good," I mew, as I sit down. "We met some SunClan cats, and one of them was Thrushstar -"
Raptorflight interrupts me. "Ugh, how come you get to see the MoonClan leader? Lucky." He then turns back to Robintail. "Bet I'll see Thrushstar on patrol before you ever will."
Robintail's tabby tail lashes. "Bet you won't."
"Bet I will."
"Bet you won't!"
As the two toms start arguing about Thrushstar, I sidle away from them, seeing no need to intervene with their conversation. Toms are weird, I think, as I stand up and move to a quieter section of camp. I really don't understand them.
Inside my mind, my mind moves away from toms, and back onto the patrol. For some reason, I can't seem to shake it... especially Calomelbreeze. She seems like a really nice cat...
Thinking back to earlier, I make a decision. Yes, I will definitely seek her out. I wouldn't mind a MoonClan friend.
I nod, feeling pleased. That's exactly what I'll do.
three - stormver[]
I try to ignore the pounding in my chest as I enter camp. I'm only waiting for my friends to bail on me. They all do eventually - even though I'm respected in this society, they're all busy with toms. Blech. I can't ever see myself enjoying a relationship with a tom.
I remember the patrol. Ashfeather, Flickerwing, and...whoever the last one was.
Oops. I immediately feel guilty as I remember the last one's appearance. What was her name..Flightsoar? No. Firestorm? No, she definetely wasn't a Firestorm.
Finchsoar! Her name comes back to me suddenly.
Finchsoar...she seemed kinda shy, but I think she's nice. She looks like the kind that'd be shy at the beginning, but gradually become more open.
In fact, I wouldn't really mind having her as a friend.
...What am I doing? I know I'm...whatever the heck Twolegs call cats like me, but what about Finchsoar..?
What if I'm not alone? What if she's... I try to think of the word, and everything starts to confuse me.
Calmly, I excuse myself from camp, shifting myself through the grass as I exit the territory. I've got to figure out what to call myself...I can't call myself the norm, but I've no idea what the word is for cats like me...
I try to act like a kittypet. Don't take me. Don't think I'm not smart.
Hoping I won't get caught, I slink myself up to a wooden wall, leaping atop it in an instant. For a moment, my paws slip - but I catch myself in a moment.
The lights in the structure flicker on, and I immediately freak out as a small Twoleg runs out. It says some unknown word, which I think would call me "kitty," but I ignore it as I dash along the edge of the fence.
Suddenly, I hear a light barking. I prick my ears as I see a pair of older Twolegs call their child back. Thankfully, I know the difference between male and female Twolegs, and I nearly fall off the fence as I notice that they're both female.
What do you call yourselves? Can I call myself that? What about my brother? Can he be called that? Or should he be called something else...?
I can only make out a few words as the child runs back in their structure. Hey...that word seems interesting.
I leap off the fence, dashing back through the forest, nearly crashing into an unfamiliar she-cat. "O-Oh, sorry!"
The she-cat narrows her eyes, her fur a deep reed brown with lighter flecks. "Watch it." She starts walking away, and I feel worry place a seed in my throat.
"W-Wait!" She turns her head. "D-Do you know what the word queer means?"
Her eyes widen. "That's...something I thought you Clan cats wouldn't know."
"Please tell me what it means. I-I think my brother and I could be whatever that means, I heard it from a Twoleg.."
She calms herself down, and suddenly looks happier. "Oh, the humans? They don't understand it." She blinks her green eyes. "...As for myself, I consider it to be a label for anyone that isn't straight - as in likes the opposite gender - or cisgender - as in identifying with the gender we are assigned, aka male or female."
"Oh..." I feel embarrassed. "Well, I guess I was right. My brother Ebonyshade and I are both queer then." I chuckle a little, and she sinks a bit in her position.
"Thanks for telling me," I tell her, and she nods as I move past her. "What's your name? Can I know your name?"
She blinks a few times. "...Well, my family called me Acarau. They heard about rivers in a place somewhere in the wide world, and they wanted to name me after one." She pricks her ears. "What's your name?"
"Calomelbreeze."
I watch her gaze shift for a moment. "Hah. Funny, I had a friend one time named Calomel. She was so great."
"Oh, um, cool." I don't know how to respond. "I-If I ever see you again, I'll remember you, Acarau."
She nods. "You've got to go anyway. The moon's full tonight, and I know you and your Clanmates are going to travel." SHe flicks her tail. "Seeya later."
She and I part ways, and I keep walking towards camp, hoping nobody will ask me of the patrol, or who I'm interested in, or about Ebony or about...somebody.
four - brams[]
Dusk falls, and the full moon starts to rise in the sky as a whole group of us SunClan cats exit the camp. Tonight is the Gathering, the meeting every full moon where SunClan and MoonClan share news, and I've been selected to go.
As always, Larchstar has to attend. With his deputy, Laurelfern, they decide the cats who go each moon. Laurelfern is also attending, and as we make our way to the Gathering place, I see her brown pelt as she pads behind Larchstar. I like her, personally - she's very dedicated to her job of keeping her Clan safe.
Apart from our medicine cat and their apprentice, the remainder of us are warriors and apprentices. Most are talking. I'm silent - I prefer to just watch the other cats and listen to what they're talking about.
The journey to the Gathering place is fairly straightforward. It's not hard to walk along the stretch of moorland to get to the Gathering - it's fairly flat, and the only rises there are are rather flat rises that aren't steep at all. There's no trees to avoid in this part of the territory as well - that's another bonus. Closer to the Gathering place, we go into forest, but that's not too much of a deal.
Because of this, it doesn't take long to travel the distance to the Gathering place.
As we arrive there, Larchstar pauses at its edge. I set my gaze on him as the tabby cat flicks his tail. "Go in, SunClan, and settle down. MoonClan is yet to arrive," he mews, and he starts to lead us in soon after.
Due to my position in the Gathering patrol, I'm among the last of the SunClan cats to enter the clearing. As I look around the large, spacious clearing, my paws tingle ever so slightly. Even though I've been here before... every time is just as amazing as the first time I saw it, at my first Gathering.
The Gathering place is neutral ground. Neither of the Clans use it much apart from the Gatherings every full moon - apart from the occasional extra meeting, it's left alone. It's quite spacious - there's plenty of room for every cat. Birch, maple and oak trees ring the clearing's edge, and one end of the clearing, there is a smooth boulder - known as the Gathering Rock - which Larchstar and Thrushstar stand upon to address the cats.
It's a beautiful place for us to gather in peace, if I say so myself.
A few of my Clanmates start to sit down - some in small groups, some alone. They space out among the clearing. Larchstar waits at the foot of the Gathering Rock: from what I can gather, he's going to wait until Thrushstar's arrival before he goes up there. He's talking quietly with Laurelfern in the meanwhile, who usually hangs around at the bottom of the rock with MoonClan's deputy.
I take my eyes off them as I move to the side of the clearing, and sit down. I'm by myself, but that doesn't deter me... as I appreciate the fact that I can dwell in my thoughts.
Unfortunately, I still can't shake that patrol out of my mind. I still can't shake Calomelbreeze.
Calomelbreeze... what if she's here? My heart feels as though it's skipped a beat, for no particular reason. Maybe we'll be able to talk. I'd like that. Let's hope she's here.
Suddenly, a yowl jolts me out of my thoughts. SunClan cats, myself included, turn to see who's made the noise. My gaze sets on Thrushstar: MoonClan has arrived.
With a flick of his tail, he leads his Clan in. From behind him and his deputy, the MoonClan cats start to spread out over the clearing, going to talk with SunClan cats.
My gaze flickers quickly over the MoonClan patrol. Much to my disappointment, I don't see any orange tabby pelts in my quick glance-over, and I feel my heart sink in disappointment. Maybe she's not here.
Shuffling my white paws, I look at the ground for a moment, thinking of getting up. So far, no cat has come to talk to me - I should probably go and join a group. However, just as I'm ready to get up, I hear a voice:
"Finchsoar?"
I turn my head to the speaker. It's an orange tabby she-cat in front of me, her eyes showing a mixture of emotions that I can't quite pick up. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?" she continues, still sounding doubtful, questioning.
It's Calomelbreeze.
five - stormver[]
Only when Finchsoar hesitates is when my fear chokes my throat.
I cough slightly, and she gives me a strange look. "You... alright?" she says slowly, like she's testing the words. I nod, and it's only when Ebonyshade comes over when my heart starts to accelerate. I'm worried about something... but what? The answer isn't quite clear.
Ever since the meeting with the patrol, this she-cat's been in my thoughts - and I don't understand why. Why hasn't she left my mind yet? Why hasn't she just gone away, like everyone else has?
We sit in silence. I quickly wonder if she's having the same experience, before my mind stops me. She'd never be like me. That would never happen. There are so little like me, and she wouldn't - she couldn't be like me.
The worry in my body is expressed through the tapping of my tail.
Of course, it has to just be everywhere tonight - it whaps Ebonyshade as he glances at me, and I immediately feel concern - he's my brother, I can't be mean to him. "S-Sorry, bro."
He nods. "It's fine, sis." He seems distracted tonight - I wonder if he's finally started to like someone.
Next, it seems as though my tail has a mind of its own, slithering towards Finchsoar and tapping her, which causes her to glance in my direction. "You seem worried - is everything alright?"
"Everything'sfine," I say quickly, and even though she look suspicious, she doesn't bother to argue.
A howl from Thrushstar gets my attention. "Let us start, shall we?"
Larchstar nods. "Our Clan has been prosperous - since our last meeting, several of our kits have become warriors. Finchsoar, Raptorflight, and Robintail are here tonight, and we have one that unfortunately couldn't make it tonight."
Finchsoar appears a bit distraught for a moment - she must know that cat.
Larchstar continues. "We also thought that we should alert everyone of a rogue - there's been a series of killings over the past several moons and each has a distinctive mark." The words fade out of my ears as I daydream breifly.
Thrushstar speaks next. "One of our queens has brought in new kits." He casts a look a Larchstar. "Their father...unknown to us, but they will be staying with her. Unless her father is to show up, these kits will be raised in my clan."
It seems like he's saying that to Larchstar, and I'm confused - why is he doing that? I lean towards Finchsoar, whispering, "Seems like he's saying that for only Larchstar to hear."
She nods, but still appears to be avoiding my gaze, and everything seems awkward between us - at least to me.
In a quick attempt to try to say something nice, I complement her the best I can. "Your eyes are pretty, by the way."
She glances at me, appearing a bit confused, but she seems to at least look at me, finally. "Um, thank you," she says quietly, and I nod my response. I notice that she is quiet for the rest of the time while the two Clans speak, which spirals out of control quickly.
Oh no. I knew this was coming...it was obvious, the unrest in the air. Both leaders are now arguing over a topic that is drowned out by Laurelfern and Thrushstar's deputy - Jaspershade - trying to calm their respective leaders.
"We're leaving," Jaspershade calls calmly, clearly trying to sooth the Clan. "Let's go, c'mon."
Ebonyshade is about to leave before he turns. "You coming?"
I nod. "I'll be there soon. Go on ahead, tell them I'll catch up to them."
I turn to Finchsoar. "Sorry we couldn't talk much," I say quietly, hoping that nobody's listening. "I'll see you sometime."
With that, I turn and dash into the bushes.
*
Thrushstar is obviously frustrated, and Jaspershade talks calmly to him. I stick beside Ebonyshade and Peregrineheart. The latter argues with him, while I let my thoughts travel.
I'll meet her at the river, where I saw her and Ashfeather. Ebonyshade shoves me forward. If she's there. Maybe.
"Seriously Ebonyshade, why are you and your sister so weird? Neither of you have seemed interested in Clan life recently!" Peregrineheart's yowling hurts my ears, and I let my eyes flick to my brother.
He takes a breath and mutters, "Peregrineheart, mine and my sister's business is nothing for you to get involved with. I'm confident that neither of us appreciate you trying to meddle in our business."
I'm still thinking about her. I'll see her.
Maybe.